Monday night I attended Collective-E’s panel on National Food Brands. As a food blogger for Cupcakes Take The Cake and a small business person, I found the information to be very valuable.

The panelists were great: Beth Schoenfeldt of Collective-E was the moderator. Wendy Friedmann from Heavenly Souffle,  Drew from Geoff and Drew’s  and Kim Yorio of YC Media.

In the audience were some sweet makers as well. Regina  and her sister from Gourmetibles, Jill from Fretzels and Laura from Sweet Muse.  They brought their treats for everyone to sample.

Takeaways: “Be passionate” about your business. Start slow.  Keep your overhead down to a shoestring budget when first starting out. Find the right market for your product.  Be flexible,  since things change.  Be authentic.

Drew said something that also resonated with me. “There are times  when an idea can be too early”. I think some of the ideas I had three or four years ago may work better now.